Why do obese mothers have obese babies?
17 March, 2020Maternal obesity increases the risk for obesity and metabolic perturbations in their offspring, but what are the mechanisms?
New cancer treatments can activate tuberculosis infection
13 March, 2020New checkpoint inhibitor treatments for cancer can activate tuberculosis in some patients — an infection that used to kill one in three people in the UK.
Our own immune cells damage the blood–brain barrier
11 March, 2020Microglia regulate the permeability of the brain's protective barrier in response to systemic inflammation — but the process can sometimes go wrong.
Immune system makes men more susceptible to obesity
02 March, 2020Researchers have uncovered differences between the male and female immune system that may explain why men are more susceptible to obesity and metabolism-related associated diseases.
What causes cellular ageing — and how can we suppress it?
27 February, 2020US and UK scientists have discovered that mitochondria trigger senescence, the sleep-like state of aged cells, through communication with the cell's nucleus.
When it comes to IVF, men have biological clocks too
26 February, 2020Fertility experts have shown that IVF success rates drop as men age, debunking the myth that only women experience declining fertility as they get older.
Probiotics found to alleviate chronic stress in mice
21 February, 2020A recent study took a systematic approach to test the efficacy of 12 candidate probiotics strains from 10 species/subspecies of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus on stressed mice.
Baby born from egg matured in the lab and frozen
20 February, 2020Fertility doctors have announced what is claimed to be the first baby to be born from an immature egg that was matured in the laboratory, frozen, then thawed and fertilised years later.
Antimicrobials found in sheep poo and on human skin
19 February, 2020The newly discovered antimicrobials fall into a class of small antimicrobial proteins called bacteriocins, which represent versatile alternatives to some commonly used antibiotics.
Four African countries license Ebola vaccine
18 February, 2020The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Ghana and Zambia have licensed an Ebola vaccine, just 90 days after its prequalification from the World Health Organization.
Meningococcal B vaccine provides no herd immunity benefit
07 February, 2020Meningococcal B vaccinations are highly effective at protecting those immunised but do little to prevent the spread of the deadly disease, according to a large-scale study.
Childhood flu exposure impacts future susceptibility
04 February, 2020The first type of influenza virus we are exposed to in early childhood dictates our ability to fight the flu for the rest of our lives, according to two recent studies.
Vaccine for African swine fever virus shows promise
04 February, 2020US government and academic investigators have developed a vaccine against African swine fever that appears to be far more effective than previously developed vaccines.
Coronavirus successfully grown in Melbourne lab
29 January, 2020Melbourne scientists have successfully grown the Wuhan coronavirus from a patient sample, while Queensland scientists have been asked to create a vaccine at unprecedented speed.
Human stem cells help treat chronic pain in mice
28 January, 2020The team used human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from bone marrow to make painkilling cells in the lab, then put them into the spinal cords of mice.
